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JNAProductions
2015-08-18, 10:37 PM
Strength of the Wilds-At second level when you pick this circle, you may use your Strength modifier in place of your Wisdom modifier for spellcasting.

Nature's Fist-Your unarmed attacks now deal 1d4 base damage.

Channeling Punch-Starting at sixth level, you may channel magic through your fists. When you hit with an unarmed strike, you may channel a spell as a bonus action. The spell must normally require an attack roll, have a single target, and have a casting time of one action. The spell automatically hits.

In addition, your unarmed attacks now deal base 1d6 magical bludgeoning.

Extra Attack At sixth level, gain Extra Attack.

Nature's Toughness-Starting at tenth level, you gain one additional hit point per Druid level you have.

Skin of Ironwood-Beginning at fourteenth level, your unarmed strikes now deal 1d8 damage. In addition, you gain resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage.

Gr7mm Bobb
2015-08-19, 10:53 AM
Balance-wise I think its fair, but maybe it's a tad underpowered. Always wanted to be a raven who could people's elbow.

Question though, wasn't this a prestige class out of 3.0's 'the sword and fist'?

Might I suggest Extra Attack and having the strikes become magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances. I'm currently AFB, but I do not know of too many druid spells that rely on attack rolls, this might pose a problem unless more are made.

Overall, I like it though.

JNAProductions
2015-08-19, 11:15 AM
This was made for the Request a Homebrew thread, so I have no idea if this is an old concept.

Added extra attack and magical damage.

Mcdt2
2015-08-19, 05:22 PM
Was going to keep commenting in the Request a Homebrew thread, but then I saw you made a new one for it, so I suppose I shall bring my thoughts here.

I said in the previous thread that I wasn't sold on using physical stats for casting, but I think I have changed my mind on that. To be exact, I have the image of a druid who is not powering his spells by drawing upon the strength of the earth (as most druids do), but instead drawing upon personal reserves of power. Such a druid still reveres nature, of course, and believes their magic still comes from it, albeit in an indirect way.

My other main thought: the Circles of Land and Moon both give two features at 2nd level (Cantrip+Natural Recovery and Bonus Action Wild Shape+CR 1 forms, respectively), whereas this only gives one. Perhaps move the unarmed damage down to 2nd level, keeping the magical damage portion at 6th with Channeling Punch? I might also expand Channeling Punch to allow single-target damage spells with a save. Probably safe to allow automatic save failure with cantrips, but probably not for most higher level spells.

I also like that you added Extra Attack, as its absence was surprising.

JNAProductions
2015-08-19, 05:42 PM
Added extra damage at level 2.

Kryx
2015-08-19, 06:21 PM
Physical stat casting ruins it for me.

ZenBear
2015-08-19, 06:25 PM
This is supposed to be a Wizard subclass.

http://i.imgur.com/2rAQj.jpg

JNAProductions
2015-08-19, 06:28 PM
Physical stat casting ruins it for me.

It's specifically for a Strength-based druid. Beyond that, nothing stopping you from keeping it all exactly the same but keeping Wisdom as the main casting stat.

PoeticDwarf
2015-08-20, 06:23 AM
It is strong, especially cancelling fist. You also wrote two times that you DM becomes 1d6 with fists.

JNAProductions
2015-08-20, 06:55 AM
Do you mean channeling fist?

And corrected the typo.

zylodrizzt
2015-08-20, 08:53 AM
The belt of giants strength may make the first ability overpowered just food for thought

JNAProductions
2015-08-20, 12:07 PM
As does an item that automatically bumps Wisdom to 19. It's the DM's choice to include a Belt of Giant Strength, and one of them should only show up long after this circle is chosen.

Alerad
2015-08-22, 08:41 PM
Nice idea.

It doesn't seem OP to me. Channeling fist has the potential to be quite strong. You get 2 attacks, if either of them hits, you get to cast a spell with 100% accuracy.
I have to see it in action, but with the restriction to choose a single target, attack-based spell which you cast at 5ft range I think it's ok.
Probably much stronger if multiclassed with Wiz/Sor?

Having Str instead of Wis as spellcasting ability gives you a small advantage, since no race has +2 Wis, but several races have +2 Str. Not game-breaking though, so I think it's also ok.
On the negative side you won't be using many beast shapes because your high Strength will get replaced, and your not-so-high Wisdom will remain the same.

One idea. Can you spend one shapeshifting use to change the nature of your fists? So that you still use unarmed attacks, but can switch to slashing or piercing damage for example?

Waffleworshiper
2016-04-18, 09:43 AM
Nice idea.

It doesn't seem OP to me. Channeling fist has the potential to be quite strong. You get 2 attacks, if either of them hits, you get to cast a spell with 100% accuracy.
I have to see it in action, but with the restriction to choose a single target, attack-based spell which you cast at 5ft range I think it's ok.

Channeling fist looks supremely underpowered, as there are pretty much no druid spells that use attack rolls. Seriously, it is just one cantrip, Thorn Whip, that can be used there, all the rest of druid combat spells use saves.

Foxhound438
2016-04-18, 03:27 PM
>giving divine smite to non-paladins
>might as well eat your siblings' birthday cakes (smiting)
>and have it too (with any spell effect you want)

I get that you could just go 2 into paladin for divine smite, but even then you aren't giving that character "post-hit contagion". Giving smite wouldn't even be that bad, it just needs to be limited similarly; if they want to "smite" post hit, it should be its own ability, no riders, just damage.

Oh, and with any attack roll cantrip, this becomes super-mega-triple-plus improved divine smite. Yes it requires a bonus action, but it's still that. Over your 2 attacks, at level 6, you can produce flame on one, dealing an extra 2d8 damage. Now multiclass 11 levels of fighter into it, your TL 17, you have 3 attacks, if one hits you get an extra 4d8 damage for free. Heck, if you go EK grab fire bolt and have 4d10 instead. The ability is straight busted no matter how you look at it.

Final Hyena
2016-04-18, 04:03 PM
Strength of the Wilds-At second level when you pick this circle, you may use your Strength modifier in place of your Wisdom modifier for spellcasting.

I'm not entirely fond of this, not because it's a physical stat used for spells, but because level 1 to 2 your main attribute changes, or rather Wisdom loses its usefulness.


Channeling Punch-Starting at sixth level, you may channel magic through your fists. When you hit with an unarmed strike, you may channel a spell as a bonus action. The spell must normally require an attack roll, have a single target, and have a casting time of one action. The spell automatically hits.

I thought this was potentially too powerful, until I started trawling through the druid spell list, I'm not very versed with it but could you point out some example spells that work with this.

There is Ice knife that shouldn't work as you'll hurt yourself with it.
And that's all I could find. :(

JNAProductions
2016-04-18, 04:05 PM
I'm not entirely fond of this, not because it's a physical stat used for spells, but because level 1 to 2 your main attribute changes, or rather Wisdom loses its usefulness.



I thought this was potentially too powerful, until I started trawling through the druid spell list, I'm not very versed with it but could you point out some example spells that work with this.

There is Ice knife that shouldn't work as you'll hurt yourself with it.
And that's all I could find. :(

I didn't actually look through the Druid spell list. Perhaps I should expand it to allow spells with saving throws, and give disadvantage to saving throws made when cast this way? But that might be stepping on the Eldritch Knight's toes too much...

Final Hyena
2016-04-18, 04:27 PM
I didn't actually look through the Druid spell list. Perhaps I should expand it to allow spells with saving throws, and give disadvantage to saving throws made when cast this way? But that might be stepping on the Eldritch Knight's toes too much...

Maybe, I have a similar idea buzzing around my head for making a firearm wizard, it's never easy to cast spells through an attack; at low levels the extra damage is great, but at high level that slight extra damage is not worth the chance of not getting to use a high level spell this turn. Not to mention the aoe loss.

I think the idea is good, but it needs something to keep it competitive at those mid/late levels. The disadvantage might be reserved for certain aoe spells or certain spell slots.